work

work¹ W1S1 [wə:k US wə:rk] v

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(do a job for money)¦

2¦(do your job)¦

3¦(help)¦

4¦(do an activity)¦

5¦(try to achieve something)¦

6¦(machine/equipment)¦

7¦(be effective/successful)¦

8¦(have an effect)¦

9¦(art/style/literature)¦

10¦(shape/cut something)¦

11¦(use a substance)¦

12 work your way to/through etc something

13 work your way through school/college/university etc

14¦(move gradually)¦

15¦(exercise)¦

16¦(move)¦

17¦(work in an area)¦

18 work the door

19¦(entertain a crowd)¦

20¦(land/soil)¦

21¦(mine)¦

22 work like magic/work like a charm

23¦(mind/brain)¦

24 work on the principle/assumption/basis etc that

25 work yourself into a frenzy/panic/state etc

26 work it/things

27 work the system

28 work somebody hard

29 work your fingers to the bone

30 work your butt/ass/arse off

31¦(calculate)¦

32 work to rule

Phrasal verbs

　work around somebody/something

　work around to something

　work at something

　work somebody/something in

　work something<=>off

　work on somebody/something

　work out

　work somebody over

　work through

　work up

　work up to something

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: wyrcan]

1.) ¦(DO A JOB FOR MONEY)¦

to do a job that you are paid for

▪ Where do you work?

▪ Many young people in the area have never worked.

▪ The injury means he'll probably never work again.

work for

▪ He works for a law firm.

work at/in

▪ I work at the university.

work as

▪ She works as a consultant for a design company.

work in industry/education/publishing etc

▪ The studies were undertaken by people working in education.

work part-time/full-time

▪ I work part-time in a library.

2.) ¦(DO YOUR JOB)¦ [I and T]

to do the activities and duties that are part of your job

▪ Sally isn't working tomorrow.

▪ Staff will have to get used to a new way of working.

work with

▪ One of the women I work with is getting married this weekend.

work under sb

(=have someone who is in charge of you)

▪ Each site has a fully trained team who work under a site manager.

work days/nights/weekends etc

▪ I get paid more if I work nights.

▪ We're sometimes expected to work twelve-hour days.

▪ Are you working late (=working after the time you usually finish) again tonight?

▪ Forty police officers are working round the clock (=working day and night without stopping) to find Murray's killer.

▪ Nowadays, many people are able to work from home .

3.) ¦(HELP)¦ [I]

if you work with someone or a group of people, your job involves trying to help them

work with/among

▪ She's just retired after 38 years working with children.

▪ He has worked among some of the world's poorest people.

4.) ¦(DO AN ACTIVITY)¦ [I]

to spend time and effort doing something

▪ I've been working in the garden all afternoon.

▪ I'm going to have to work really hard to pass these exams.

▪ We're working together to develop a new system.

5.) ¦(TRY TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING)¦ [I]

to try continuously to achieve a particular thing

work towards

▪ They are working towards a solution to their problems.

work for

▪ We will work for the release of the hostages.

work to do sth

▪ The police are working to provide more help for victims of crime.

▪ The company is working hard to improve its image.

▪ He worked tirelessly (=worked very hard in a determined way) for the charity throughout his life.

6.) ¦(MACHINE/EQUIPMENT)¦

a) [I]

if a machine or piece of equipment works, it does what it is supposed to do

▪ You should check that the smoke alarm is working properly.

▪ The delete key doesn't work.

get sth to work

▪ I can't get the heater to work.

b) [T]

to make a machine or piece of equipment do what it is supposed to do

▪ My parents can't even work the video.

7.) ¦(BE EFFECTIVE/SUCCESSFUL)¦ [I]

to be effective or successful

▪ Making a marriage work can take a lot of effort.

▪ I've never found a diet that works.

▪ The recipe works just as well if you use margarine instead of butter.

▪ The cream works immediately to relieve sore skin.

work for

▪ You need to find which method works best for you.

work against

▪ a drug that works against some types of cancer

8.) ¦(HAVE AN EFFECT)¦ [I always + adverb/preposition]

if something such as a fact, situation, or system works in a particular way, it has a particular effect on someone or something

▪ The arrangement works well for everyone involved.

▪ The French team are the heavier crew, which should work in their favour (=help them) .

▪ Sexism still works against (=harms or causes problems for) women in many professions.

9.) ¦(ART/STYLE/LITERATURE)¦ [I]

if a painting, design, piece of writing etc works, it is successful because it has the effect on you that the painter, writer etc intended

▪ I don't think the scene with the horses really works, do you?

work for

▪ The colour combination just doesn't work for me.

10.)¦(SHAPE/CUT SOMETHING)¦ [T]

if you work a material such as metal, leather, or clay, you cut, sew, or shape it in order to make something

11.) ¦(USE A SUBSTANCE)¦ [I]

to use a particular material or substance in order to make something such as a picture, design, jewellery etc

work in/with

▪ a sculptor who works in steel

▪ a jeweller who works with silver

12.) work your way to/through etc sth

a) to move somewhere slowly and with difficulty

▪ From here, we worked our way carefully across the rock base.

b) to achieve something gradually by working

▪ He had worked his way up to head of department.

13.) work your way through school/college/university etc

to do a job while you are a student because you need the money to pay for your courses, books etc

14.) ¦(MOVE GRADUALLY)¦ [I,T always + adverb/preposition]

to move into a particular state or position very gradually, either in a series of small movements or after a long time

▪ Slowly he worked the screwdriver into the crack.

work (its way) loose

▪ One of the screws must have worked loose.

15.) ¦(EXERCISE)¦ [T]

to use and exercise a muscle or part of your body

▪ Swimming is a form of exercise that works every muscle in your body.

16.) ¦(MOVE)¦ [I and T] [i]formal

if a part of your body works or you work it, it moves

▪ She was trembling and her mouth was working.

17.) ¦(WORK IN AN AREA)¦ [T]

if you work a particular area or type of place, you travel around the area for your job, or work in that type of place

▪ Markowitz works the Tri-State area.

18.) work the door

to take tickets from people as they enter a club, theatre etc

▪ Binns worked the door at various Manhattan clubs.

19.) ¦(ENTERTAIN A CROWD)¦ [T]

if an entertainer or politician works a crowd of people, they entertain them and get their interest or support

▪ She really knew how to work a crowd.

20.)¦(LAND/SOIL)¦ [T]

if you work the land, soil etc, you do all the work necessary to grow crops on it

▪ He was left to work the farm alone.

21.) ¦(MINE)¦ [T]

to remove a substance such as coal, gold, or oil from under the ground

22.) work like magic/work like a charm also work a treat BrE

to be very effective

▪ a polish that works a treat on windows

23.) ¦(MIND/BRAIN)¦

if your mind or brain is working, you are thinking or trying to solve a problem

24.) work on the principle/assumption/basis etc that

to base ideas, plans etc on a particular fact that you think is true

▪ We're working on the assumption that the conference will take place in Canada, as planned.

25.) work yourself into a frenzy/panic/state etc

to make yourself become very nervous, angry etc

▪ He seemed to be working himself into a rage.

26.) work it/things

[i]spoken to make arrangements for something to happen, especially by behaving in a clever or skilful way

▪ We should try and work it so that we can all go together.

27.) work the system

to understand how a system works so that you can get advantages for yourself, often in a slightly dishonest way

▪ Lynn could show the rest of us how to work the system.

28.) work sb hard also work sb into the ground informal

to make someone work very hard

▪ The coach has been working us really hard this week.

▪ People have complained that they are being worked into the ground.

work yourself into the ground

▪ I've worked myself into the ground setting up this interview.

29.) work your fingers to the bone also work your socks off

informal to work very hard

30.) work your butt/ass/arse off

not polite to work very hard

31.) ¦(CALCULATE)¦ [T]

AmE formal to calculate the answer to a mathematical problem

32.) work to rule

BrE to protest about a situation at work by doing your job slowly, with the excuse that you must obey all the rules exactly

→work wonders at ↑wonder² (4), work miracles at ↑miracle, work your magic at ↑magic¹ (5)

work around / [work around sb/sth] phr v

to arrange or organize something so that you avoid problems that may stop you from doing something

▪ John won't be here on the 15th so we'll have to work round that.

work around to [work around to sth] phr v

to gradually mention a subject in a conversation or piece of writing, especially because it is embarrassing

▪ You'll have to work round to the subject gradually.

work at [work at sth] phr v

to try hard to improve something or achieve something

▪ Learning a language isn't easy. You have to work at it.

work at doing sth

▪ couples who want to work at improving their relationship

work in [work sb/sth in] phr v

1.) work sth<=>in also work sth into sth

to include something in a speech, piece of writing, activity etc

▪ He managed to work in a few references to his new book.

▪ Here are a few goodies you can work into your daily diet.

2.) work sth<=>in also work sth into sth

to add one substance to another and mix them together in a very thorough way

▪ Work the butter into the flour.

3.) AmE spoken to arrange to meet someone, even though you are very busy

British Equivalent: fit somebody in

▪ My schedule's pretty full, but I think I can work you in.

work off [work sth<=>off] phr v

1.) to get rid of something, especially a feeling such as anger, nervousness etc, by doing something that uses a lot of your energy

▪ Walking is excellent for working off tension.

▪ I need to go and work off a few of these calories.

2.) to do a job for someone else because you owe them money or because they have helped you in the past

▪ She hasn't worked off her debts to me yet.

work on / [work on sb/sth] phr v

1.) to spend time working in order to produce or repair something

▪ He has spent the last two years working on a book about childcare.

▪ Every weekend you see him working on his car.

2.) to try very hard to improve or achieve something

▪ A trainer has been brought in to work on her fitness.

work on doing sth

▪ We need to work on ensuring that the children feel safe and confident.

3.) to try continuously to influence someone or persuade them to do something

▪ You leave him to me. I'll work on him.

work out phr v

1.) ¦(PLAN)¦

work sth<=>out

to think carefully about how you are going to do something and plan a good way of doing it

▪ UN negotiators have worked out a set of compromise proposals.

work out what/where/how etc

▪ We need to work out how we're going to get there.

▪ I had it all worked out (=had made very careful plans) .

2.) ¦(CALCULATE)¦

work sth<=>out

to calculate an answer, amount, price etc

▪ See if you can work this bill out.

work out how much/how many etc

▪ We'll have to work out how much food we'll need for the party.

3.) ¦(UNDERSTAND)¦

work sth<=>out

especially BrE to think about something and manage to understand it

▪ The plot is very complicated - it'll take you a while to work it out.

work sth out for yourself

▪ I'm sure you can work it out for yourself.

4.) ¦(COST)¦

if a cost or amount works out at a particular figure, it is found to be that much when you calculate it

work out at/to £10/$500 etc

▪ The bill works out at £15 each.

work out expensive/cheap etc

(=be expensive or cheap)

▪ If we go by taxi, it's going to work out very expensive.

5.) ¦(GET BETTER)¦

if a problem or complicated situation works out, it gradually gets better or gets solved

▪ Things will work out, you'll see.

▪ I hope it all works out for Gina and Andy.

work itself out

▪ I'm sure everything will work itself out.

6.) ¦(HAPPEN)¦

if a situation works out in a particular way, it happens in that way

= ↑turn out

work out well/badly

▪ Financially, things have worked out well for us.

7.) ¦(EXERCISE)¦

to make your body fit and strong by doing exercises

▪ He works out with weights twice a week.

→↑workout

8.) I can't work sb out

BrE spoken used to say that you cannot understand what someone is really like or why they behave in the way they do

▪ I couldn't work her out at all.

9.) be worked out

if a mine is worked out, all the coal, gold etc has been removed from it

work over [work sb over] phr v

to attack someone by hitting them several times

work through phr v

1.) work sth<=>through

to deal with problems or unpleasant feelings

▪ After someone dies, it can take a long time to work though your grief.

2.) if the result or effect of something works through, it becomes noticeable

▪ The positive effect on businesses may take up to three years to work through.

work up [work up] phr v

1.) work up enthusiasm/interest/courage etc

to make yourself feel interested, brave etc

▪ I'm trying to work up enough courage to go to the dentist.

2.) work up an appetite/a thirst/a sweat

to make yourself hungry or ↑thirsty, or make yourself ↑sweat, especially by doing physical exercise

▪ You can work up a really big thirst playing tennis.

3.) work sb up

to make someone very angry, excited, or upset about something

work yourself up

▪ You're working yourself up again.

▪ She had worked herself up into a state .

→↑worked up

4.) work sth<=>up

to develop and improve something such as a project or a piece of writing

▪ Jack took notes which he would work up into a report later.

work up to [work up to sth] phr v

to gradually prepare yourself to do something difficult

work up to doing sth

▪ He'd been working up to asking her for a date all week.

work ²

work² W1S1 n

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(job)¦

2¦(place)¦

3¦(duties)¦

4¦(result)¦

5¦(papers etc)¦

6¦(book/painting/music)¦

7¦(activity)¦

8¦(study)¦

9 at work

10 the (whole) works

11 nice work/quick work

12 something is in the works/pipeline

13 works

14 the works

15 have your work cut out (for you)

16 make short/light work of something

17 make heavy/hard work of something

18¦(force)¦

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: werc, weorc]

1.) ¦(JOB)¦[U]

a job or activity that you do regularly, especially in order to earn money

→↑employment

▪ There isn't a lot of work at this time of the year.

▪ My father started work when he was just 14.

▪ He's been out of work (=without a job) for two years.

▪ More people are in work (=have a job) than ten years ago.

▪ There has been an increase in the number of people looking for work .

▪ She found work with an engineering firm.

▪ I'm planning to return to work (=start a job again after a long period of time) when the children are a little older.

before/after work

(=before a day of work or at the end of a day of work)

▪ Do you want to go for a drink after work?

part-time/full-time work

▪ The new law will benefit people in part-time work.

▪ I need to find paid work (=a job you are paid to do) .

voluntary work

BrE /volunteer work

AmE (=a job you are not paid for)

▪ He does voluntary work in a hospital.

▪ In my line of work (=the type of work someone does) , I meet lots of interesting people.

see usage note ↑job

2.) ¦(PLACE)¦[U]

a place where you do your job, which is not your home

▪ I had an accident on the way to work.

▪ He left work at the usual time.

▪ I went out with the girls from work last night.

at work

▪ Dad's at work right now.

3.) ¦(DUTIES)¦[U]

the duties and activities that are part of your job

▪ A large part of the work we do involves using computers.

▪ He starts work at 4am.

secretarial/legal/clerical etc work

▪ He's started a business doing gardening and roofing work.

4.) ¦(RESULT)¦[U]

something that you produce as a result of doing your job or doing an activity

▪ Send a résumé and examples of your work.

▪ The building is the work of architect Rafael Moneo.

▪ The teacher should make sure that each child has a piece of work displayed on the wall.

▪ The standard of work has declined.

5.) ¦(PAPERS ETC)¦[U]

the papers and other materials you need for doing work

▪ Can you move some of your work off the kitchen table?

▪ I often have to take work home with me.

6.) ¦(BOOK/PAINTING/MUSIC)¦

something such as a painting, play, piece of music etc that is produced by a painter, writer, or musician

▪ the Collected Works of Shakespeare

▪ It is another accomplished work by the artist.

→↑work of art

7.) ¦(ACTIVITY)¦[U]

when you use physical or mental effort in order to achieve something

work on

▪ Work will start next month on a new swimming pool in the centre of the city.

▪ Looking after children can be hard work .

carry out/ do work

▪ You should not allow unqualified people to carry out work on your house.

set to work/get down to work

(=start work)

▪ He set to work immediately.

8.) ¦(STUDY)¦[U]

study or ↑research, especially for a particular purpose

carry out/do work

▪ The centre carries out work to monitor trends in housing management.

▪ He did his postgraduate work in Sociology.

9.) at work

a) doing your job or a particular activity

▪ He spent most of his time watching the fishermen at work.

b) having a particular influence or effect

▪ Volcanoes display some of nature's most powerful forces at work.

10.) the (whole) works

spoken used after mentioning several things, to emphasize that someone or something has everything you can think of

▪ The hotel had everything - sauna, swimming pool, the works.

11.) nice work/quick work

spoken used to praise someone for doing something well or quickly

▪ That was quick work!

12.) sth is in the works/pipeline informal

used to say that something is being planned or developed

▪ Upgrades to the existing software are in the works.

13.) works [plural, U]

a) activities involved in building or repairing things such as roads, bridges etc

engineering works/irrigation works/roadworks

▪ the official in charge of the engineering works

→↑public works

b) a building or group of buildings in which goods are produced in large quantities or an industrial process happens

ironworks/gasworks/cement works

▪ The brick works closed last year.

14.) the works

the moving parts of a machine

= ↑mechanism

15.) have your work cut out (for you) informal used to say that it will be very difficult to do something

▪ The team will have their work cut out if they are to win the competition.

16.) make short/light work of sth

to do something very quickly and easily

▪ A microwave oven can make light work of the cooking.

17.) make heavy/hard work of sth

to do something with difficulty

▪ They made hard work of what should have been an easy game.

18.) ¦(FORCE)¦[U]

technical force multiplied by distance

→be all in a day's work at ↑day, do sb's dirty work at ↑dirty¹ (8), a nasty piece of work at ↑nasty, nice work if you can get it at ↑nice